7.1 The NYS Practical Examination: Six Parts & 74 Evaluated Tasks

The NYS Practical Examination: Six Parts & 74 Evaluated Tasks

Why this chapter exists: New York publishes no question count and no domain weighting for the written exam — but it publishes the practical examination in extraordinary detail, task by task, in three documents: Practical Examination Procedures, the Task List for Examination Procedures, and the Practical Examination Supply List. Between them, those documents are the only fully itemized, officially scored blueprint New York issues for any part of nail licensure. Study them accordingly.

---

Structure at a Glance

The practical takes approximately 1 3/4 hours. Each part is separately timed and announced; the examiner gives verbal instructions before each one, and you do not begin until told to. Talking among candidates is not allowed.

[!IMPORTANT] Read the task distribution. Part II (17 tasks) and Part V (18 tasks) together carry 47% of every scored task on the exam. Part II is a basic manicure — the least glamorous procedure in the curriculum — and it is worth more tasks than tip application or wrap application. Candidates who spend their practice time on acrylic and gloss over the manicure are leaving the second-largest block of points on the table.

---

What You Work On

        YOUR OWN HAND                          THE MANNEQUIN HAND
   ┌──────────────────────────┐          ┌────────────────────────────────┐
   │ 5 natural nails, free of │          │ 3 tips applied BEFORE the exam │
   │ polish and enhancements  │          │ free edge not exceeding 1/8"   │
   │                          │          │                                │
   │ Part II ONLY:            │          │ Part III: 2 more tips applied  │
   │  - shaping               │          │ Part IV:  1 silk + 1 fiberglass│
   │  - soak                  │          │ Part V:   1 one-color acrylic  │
   │  - cuticle softening     │          │           sculpted over a form │
   │  - push back (NO cutting)│          │ Part VI:  red polish on the    │
   │  - massage, 2 movements  │          │           3 enhancement nails  │
   │  - buff to a shine       │          │                                │
   └──────────────────────────┘          └────────────────────────────────┘

[!WARNING] A mannequin hand is required and no live models are allowed. Bringing a live model is a disqualification, not a deduction. DOS recommends flexible soft plastic, and the fingers must accept false tips. Three tips must already be applied before you arrive, with a free edge not exceeding 1/8 inch. Failure to bring a compliant mannequin "will result in your disqualification."

Separately, the manicure cannot be performed on nails with polish or enhancements. You must present five bare natural nails on the hand you will manicure. If you wear enhancements, they come off before exam day.

Handedness tip: if you are right-handed, perform the manicure on your left hand; if left-handed, on your right. This is DOS's own recommendation and it exists so your dominant hand holds the implements.

---

Part I — Preparation of Work Area (10 minutes, 5 tasks)

"You will begin by setting up your bag for disposables and sanitizing your work surface. Then, you may set out your supplies for the basic manicure."

1. Appearance. Clean smock or gown (not an apron); closed-toe shoes that cover the top of the foot; hair pulled back and secured.
2. Sanitize the station. An EPA-approved sanitizing solution in original, labeled packaging, applied to cover the entire work surface, and the station completely dried before proceeding.
3. The disposables bag. A zip-lock type sealable plastic bag labeled "disposables", secured to a side of the work station within reach, used for everything soiled during setup.
4. Toweling. A table towel placed correctly in the center of the table, covering the surface under the mannequin hand.
5. Safety and infection control throughout.

Ten minutes is generous for five tasks. Use the surplus to lay out Part II precisely — the clock in Part II is not generous.

---

Part II — Basic Manicure and Preparation (15 minutes, 17 tasks)

This part has two verbal instructions with a STOP in between. Do not run past the stop.

First segment:

1. Sanitize both of your own hands with a sanitizer containing 60% or more alcohol.
2. Shape all five nails, filing from the outer edge to the center of each nail, with smooth steady movements, not too rough, and without filing the nail plate itself.
3. Finished nails must be smooth, with no jagged edges, symmetrically shaped, of similar shape and length.
4. Fingerbowl prepared in a sanitary manner with the proper amount of water (soap optional); hand positioned correctly.
5. Dry thoroughly with a clean towel after soaking.
6. Cuticle softener applied in a sanitary manner — with a spatula or a cotton-tipped orangewood stick, not fingers — working toward the cuticle.
7. Push cuticles gently with the pusher held properly. The cuticles are NOT cut. Then STOP and wait.

Second segment: 8. Massage. Lotion or oil dispensed in a sanitary manner; at least two different massage movements demonstrated on your own hand and arm, gently, surface only, for one to two minutes. 9. Remove all film from the nails and cuticles with a lint-free wipe or cotton-tipped orangewood stick with astringent. 10. Buff to a shine. Three-way buffer held correctly, moving base to free edge in an "X" pattern, lightly enough not to cause friction heat. All five nails must shine. 11. Switch to the mannequin. A medium or fine abrasive removes shine from the three tipped nails that will receive advanced procedures, without extreme pressure. 12. Nail antiseptic applied in a sanitary manner after buffing.

[!CAUTION] Cuticle cutting is not allowed — anywhere on this exam. It is called out in the procedures document and scored as a task. It also mirrors New York's substantive rule: cutting living eponychium is outside the nail specialty scope of practice.

---

Part III — Tip Application and Shaping (15 minutes, 15 tasks)

Covered in detail in section 6.4. Headline requirements: tips cover one-half of the nail plate, applied at 45 degrees and held ~10 seconds, no white spots or air bubbles, no liquid blending product, no visible seams, and a finished free edge of 1/4" to 1/2".

Part IV — Wrap Application (20 minutes, 11 tasks)

Covered in detail in section 6.5. Headline requirements: one silk and one fiberglass; fabrics cut to the approximate shape at the table; thin adhesive coats from center toward free edge; excess trimmed to about 1/16 inch from sidewalls and free edge; activator on the fiberglass only, same system as the resin, spray form only.

Part V — Acrylic Application (30 minutes, 18 tasks)

Covered in detail in section 6.2. Headline requirements: odorless, MMA-free system; form snug, level, not cutting skin; dab and pat with the brush parallel; dishes covered; form off only at the hollow click; inhibition layer off with a file only; finished nail thinner at cuticle, free edge and sidewalls for a natural C-curve.

[!IMPORTANT] If your acrylic system does not require a primer, you must still demonstrate the primer application — on one of the nails that did not receive the advanced procedures. Candidates using primer-free systems routinely skip this and lose the task.

---

Part VI — Polish Application and Clean-Up (15 minutes, 8 tasks)

"You will begin by applying a base coat, two coats of red polish, and a top coat to the three nails that received advanced procedures on the mannequin hand."

1. Order: base coat → two coats of red → top coat. Ridge filler is not allowed.
2. On the three enhancement nails only — not the manicured hand.
3. Technique: thin, even coats with minimum strokes (3 to 5), starting at the center of the nail and working from cuticle to free edge.
4. No polish on skin or cuticle. If it happens, remove it with a cotton-tipped orangewood stick — never with your finger. The supply list is explicit that fingers may not be used.
5. Finished nails free of obvious air bubbles, lines, lumps, or missed spots.
6. Clean-up: all supplies packed; contaminated implements in the "dirty" container; disposables in the trash or taken away; station left clean and orderly.

[!NOTE] A French polish has been eliminated from the exam and will not be performed. Older New York prep material still drills the smile line for the practical. It is no longer tested there. (Learn it anyway — clients want it.)

---

What Is No Longer on the Exam

---

Results

• Reported as passed or failed. You will not receive a numerical score.
• Posted to your NYS License Center account under the Examination section; you are notified by email. Results are not given at the exam site or over the telephone.
• You may not appeal your examination results.
• Passed results are valid for five years (19 NYCRR 160.34).
• If you pass the practical and have already passed the written, the license arrives in the mail.
• If you fail, you may request an analysis within 60 days by emailing the Practical Examination Unit — a breakdown of your scores to identify strengths and weaknesses. Analyses are not provided to candidates who passed.